"Marshal, when will the rout you gathered be handed over to us?"

The German Confederation, which was aware of the hindsight, still realized the problem of command, and Admiral Adrian, who was not responsible for the contact, hurried to the door.

Archduke Albrecht shook his head and asked in surprise: "What to hand over?" Don't I, the coalition commander, have the authority to command these troops? ”

How much power the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces has is another mystery of the world.

Belgium and Germany were forced to join the anti-French alliance, and they simply did not have the confidence to compete with Austria for dominance, and there was no clear agreement even on the authority of the coalition command.

Power without a specific agreement can theoretically be infinitely amplified. Now, for example, Archduke Albrecht has collected the rout in the name of the coalition command.

Admiral Adrian tried to explain: "But the marshal ......"

Before he could finish his sentence, Archduke Albrecht interrupted: "No, my admiral.

Your Excellency knows exactly how dangerous the situation on the battlefield is now. If there is no unity of command at this time, do you think it is possible for us to hold the Rhine line?

There are not enough troops on the front, and I have already reorganized the defeated troops that I have gathered, and now I am engaged in the battle, and I cannot mobilize them in a short time.

To hand over the command of these units, wait until the war is over. Rest assured, I won't be holding on all the time! ”

Rest assured, how can you put your mind at ease?

It was because he was not at ease that Adrian came to the door. In fact, the defeat at the front was also an opportunity for the central government of the German Federal Federation.

If the opportunity is seized and the command of the armies of the various states is obtained, this loose alliance will not be far from true unification.

It cannot be blamed that the German generals on the front line reacted slowly, unlike the coalition command with vaguely defined powers, but the power of the German front command was stipulated to die early.

The states had independent command, and the German command was composed of representatives from the states, and the commander-in-chief appointed by the central government was essentially only a coordinator of relations.

The internal relations of the command have not been straightened out, and it is logical that the reaction is a step slower.

By the time George I decided to seize power, the Archduke Albrecht had already taken the lead in the name of the Allied Command to almost integrate the German troops who had withdrawn from the front line.

Due to the inconvenience of communications, after the defeat of the front, many front-line troops lost contact with the German command.

The officers and soldiers below do not know about the disputes at the top. Anyway, the existence of the coalition command is well known, and the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level are accustomed to obeying the orders of their superiors.

In the midst of the panic, an order was received from the command of the coalition forces, and the vast majority of them accepted it.

It was not only the stragglers who were recruited, but also the German troops who had retreated from the front were also requisitioned by the Archduke Albrecht in the name of the Allied Command, including many of the troops of Hanover.

By this time, Archduke Albrecht had essentially mastered most of the German army at the front.

If it weren't for the fact that the subsequent battles would require the cooperation of the German Confederation, Archduke Albrecht would have gone even further, for example: forcibly taking over the command of all German troops on the front.

Admiral Adrian stubbornly defended: "Marshal, the command of the coalition forces wants to unify the command, which can be achieved through the joint of the three countries, and there is no need to directly command the front-line troops at all. ”

It's not that Admiral Adrian is not eloquent, it's that the relationship between Germany and Austria is too complicated, and now the German Confederation has to rely on Austria to protect its own security, and he can't say a lot of things.

Other League of Nations can also use different cultural customs and language barriers as an excuse to demand independent command.

The anti-French alliance will not work, and linguists may not be able to figure out the difference between German and Austrian, but in any case, the three Chinese languages can be used universally, and there is no communication barrier.

The excuse of the panacea can't be used, and the words that hurt feelings can't be said, and Admiral Adrian is naturally uncomfortable.

Archduke Albrecht waved his hand, softened his tone and said, "All right, Admiral." You and I are both soldiers, just consider the problem from a military point of view, and let the government communicate on political issues!

The most important thing now is to win the war, and the first task now is to hold the Rhine line, otherwise the hinterland of Germany will become a battlefield.

What this means, you should understand. The ambitions of the French are endless, and by this time there is no one left alone. ”

This is persuasion, but it is also a warning. Once the French army tore through the Rhine line, Austria was nothing, but the German Confederation was the second Belgium, and even the northern states could not avoid it.

At this point, Austria held on to the command of the army, and Admiral Adrian could not do anything.

You can't encourage soldiers to mutiny, can you? In the event of a disturbance at the front, allowing the French to seize the opportunity and tear through the Rhine line, it would really be a shot in their own feet.

With the experience of the collapse of the Luxembourg line, Admiral Adrian had to take this as a warning that the German Confederation could no longer afford to lose.

……

The small episode that took place in the command did not affect the conduct of the war against France.

After the occupation of the Luxembourg area, the French army did not stop and continued to advance towards the German region, which was not far from the Rhine defense line.

Frankly speaking, holding on to the west bank of the Rhine is not the best option militarily, and it is far better to withdraw to the east bank and rely on the Rhine to build a defensive line.

However, the military needs to serve politics, and shrinking the defense line to the east bank means that the anti-French alliance admits the military defeat of the previous stage and abandons Belgium and the Rhineland.

It was impossible to admit defeat, and the war against France was not just about defeating the French, but also about the attribution of continental European hegemony.

Austria had to show its might on the battlefield, not make it seem like it was a fluke.

There are no natural dangers to rely on, and the coalition forces still have trenches. This thing was carried forward in the Russo-Prussian War and is now widely accepted by the European world.

Archduke Albrecht did not dare to underestimate the French army, and the trenches were dug one after another, making it clear that the French army would be consumed by positional warfare.

In order to win this war, the French government also fought hard, and Napoleon IV did not hesitate to invite the veteran Marshal Patrice McMahon.

Patrice McMahon and Archduke Albrecht were contemporaries, both long-established veterans. This war against France was also the pinnacle duel between two famous European generals.

……

The French command, after staring at the map for a long time, Marshal Patrice McMahon said slowly:

"Albrecht is known for being good at attacking, but he didn't expect to play turtle tactics now, and it seems that the battle ahead has had a great impact on him.

Austria has set its strategic focus on Africa, and now that the Suez Canal has been blocked, the British are taking advantage of the fire and looting, and the domestic supply has begun to be tight.

Our next enemy is not only the anti-French alliance, but also time. If the enemy's Rhine defense line cannot be torn apart as soon as possible, then ......"

Everyone's expressions froze, and their triumphant expressions no longer existed. Everyone is smart and knows that it is the old marshal who is beating them.

Material constraints are certainly a problem, but the problem is more of a financial one. Although the impact of this European war was great, it did not affect the whole world.

Without the Suez Canal, there is still the Cape of Good Hope to go. Moreover, the route to the Americas is still open, and Austria can only intercept part of the sea.

Even if it is more dangerous for French merchant ships to go to sea, there are ships from other neutral countries available, but the cost is a little higher.

The material shortage is only temporary, and the market will adjust itself. As long as you have money these days, you don't have to worry about not being able to buy supplies.

Before France's fiscal collapse, everyone didn't have to worry about going hungry.

"Marshal, the Austrian government has chosen the wrong person this time. Albrecht was the best at attacking, and it was now clear that even the defense was preparing for the attack.

But now the anti-French alliance is at a disadvantage, and the Rhine Xi'an is infinitely defensible, and it is simply a joke to try to block us with only a few trenches.

If the enemy withdraws his troops to the east bank and relies on the Rhine for defense, we really can't do anything about them in a short time. ”

Patrice McMahon frowned: "Oudino, you still haven't changed the stinky problem of pride.

Albrecht is good at attacking, and that's because he's famous for his offense, which everyone thinks so, doesn't mean he can't play defensively.

Judging by the deployment of the enemy's forces, this is a turtle shell, and although this turtle was wounded in front, its defense should not be underestimated.

But you are right about one thing, the troops of the two countries have lost their morale, Albrecht does not have enough troops at his disposal, and holding on to the west bank of the Rhine is a failure.

Now we need to rush for time, and as long as we tear through the Rhine line before Austrian reinforcements arrive, the dominance of the war will fall into our hands. ”

That's right, Oudino is the guy from the original plane who led the expeditionary force to attack Mexico.

It's just that his luck is much better than in history, he was injured a little in the middle of the accident, and was transferred back to China to recuperate, and the next one took the responsibility for the defeat of the war.

After being reprimanded, Oudino was not annoyed, and said without changing his face: "Marshal, the troops are ready for battle and can attack at any time.

Now the morale of the officers and soldiers is high, and everyone is still waiting to storm Vienna and capture Franz! ”

In fact, the original battle plan of the French army was only to seize the territory west of the Rhine. Having torn through the Rhine line, the first phase of the French army's combat mission was completed.

As for the storming of Vienna and the capture of Franz, it was just shouting slogans.

European countries are not stupid and will not watch France fight all the way to Vienna. It is estimated that the French army is still halfway to Vienna, and the British will be cut off from their supplies.

Unlike Austria, which is not afraid of blockade, France cannot do without the support of foreign materials, even if it has North Africa.

vertex